Celebrating the marvelous misadventures of Kate Spade’s fashion films
We’re still not over Kate Spade’s untimely (and extremely suspicious) passing, so we’re revisiting her best moments in film.
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The iconic and much beloved designer Kate Spade was found dead in her New York home on Tuesday. As part of the first wave of female American contemporary designers, Spade introduced a buoyancy to luxury fashion that was as fun and playful as she appeared to be.
Renowned for her bold, practical, and occasionally very kitsch designs, Spade’s brand was grownup but boisterous with her accessories empire coming to define an entire era. For the cross section of people who adore film as much as design, Spade’s fashion films – released as the #misadventure series – reflected the designer’s aesthetic while redefining what fashion marketing can and should look like.
Featuring the talents of some of the funniest and most cherished women in comedy, the films remain more than just an exercise in branding. The charming shorts offer snapshots of women living exuberant lives, enjoying dazzling friendships, and facing everyday calamity. We absolutely adore them. Here are seven of our favorite Kate Spade fashion films from the #misadventure series that will rightfully continue to be celebrated for their genius.
Miss Adventure “The Bumpy Ride”: Anna Faris & Rosie Perez
The first of two comedy shorts starring Faris (Just Friends) and Perez (White Men Can’t Jump) as a pair of pals finding themselves in a calamitous scenario, The Bumpy Ride takes the format to the skies. Faris panics over some avocados she’s smuggled into the country while Perez tries and fails to get some shuteye – all the while a wickedly sharp John Early (The Disaster Artist) causes them untold amounts of grief as a snarky flight attendant in the Janicza Bravo-directed short.
Miss Adventure “The Perfect Weekend”: Zosia Mamet, Kat Dennings, and Lola Kirke
The perfect, laziest girls weekend is interrupted by a deluge of incorrectly festive deliveries like a box of bachelorette goodies (even though nobody is getting married) and a happy retirement cake (even though these ladies have most definitely not thrown in the towel).
Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny) plays a neighbor who gatecrashes the chill sesh in her pajamas and the whole thing gloriously ends with the first appropriate surprise delivery for the four queens – a princess bouncy castle.
Miss Adventure “The Great Escape”: Anna Kendrick & Lily Tomlin
So good, we wish Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) & Tomlin (Grandma) could reunite for a whole comedy feature together soon. Kendrick is mistaken for a meditation instructor and proceeds to reel off a load of nonsense about letting “the breath take you within” and waving “at the doorman” for inner peace. Tomlin looks super zen by the end and we totally feel those vibes too.
Miss Adventure “Ready or Not”: Zosia Mamet, Sarah Jones, and Ali Wong
The build up to a Women in Comedy event goes awry when Wong (Fresh Off the Boat) gets stuck helping her daughter go potty over FaceTime, Jones can’t convince a gormless PR girl that she needs to get into the event, and Mamet (The Kids Are All Right) gets tangled up in the threads of Drew Elliott’s event manager. All while the Empire State Building dazzles around them, of course.
Miss Adventure “The Joy Ride”: Anna Kendrick & Zosia Mamet
Like “Waiting for Godot – in heels”, Kendrick & Mamet decide to share a ride together and get to know each other as they wait for their driver to get back from an unexpected bathroom trip. “I don’t know why women don’t say hi to each other,” Kendrick laments before the two become the best of friends, throw on their finest garb, and decide to take the wheel themselves.
Miss Adventure “The Best Company”: Anna Kendrick & Gloria Steinem
Kendrick enjoys a lonely date (with her handbag) at her favorite restaurant, only to discover her regular table is occupied – by none other than legendary activist Steinem. After various attempts to spy on the feminist icon, Kendrick is eventually joined by her – just in time for dessert – and the two share the world’s most gigantic pudding together. Frankly, we’re jealous.
Miss Adventure “To the Top”: Zosia Mamet & Miss Piggy
Directed by Rufus Scott Church, “To the Top” features the ultimate fashion showdown between Mamet and iconic Muppet queen Miss Piggy as they both turn up to the same Empire State Building party in the same jaw-dropper of an outfit.
They exchange barbs, with Piggy telling Mamet, “This is a holiday party, not a costume party where you dress up like your favorite movie star!” They try to outdo each other with accessories, but ultimately decide they both look fabulous and flounce away arm in arm. It’s perfection.
